How Carriers Are Preparing For The Holiday Craze

As package volumes continue to rise, logistics providers are working furiously to deploy business strategy that will get them ahead of the numbers, and what better time to implement these tactics than before the holiday season hits.

For example, UPS is taking a two-pronged approach to address soaring volumes with both short- and long-term solutions. They recently broke ground on an automated “super hub”in Atlanta, which sorts 100,000 packages each hour, with plans to open 22 more automated facilities across the globe, boasting 35% higher efficiency than traditional buildings. To support the projected 800 million packages to be sent between Black Friday and New Year’s Day, they are also in the process of hiring 100,000 temporary employees to work through the holiday season.

Amazon, as well as FedEx, are taking a similar hiring tactic, with plans to hire thousands of their own seasonal drivers. This is fast on the tails of another announcement that Amazon made, asserting they will allow free shipping for ALL customers, not just Prime members, during the holiday season with no minimum purchase requirement. With Target claiming free two-day shipping during the holidays and Walmart offering free shipping for orders over $35, it seems likely Amazon is attempting to keep up or outpace them in the online consumer race.